Chapter 207: Two Months 2

Selene’s POV: Two Months

Two months had passed already, and my stomach had started to protrude a little. I was pregnant, yes. I knew it, and I was going to give birth soon, so I couldn’t afford any strenuous activity. All I wanted was to know the baby was fine, and he was.

How did I know it would be a he? I didn’t. I was only guessing, and hoping. Maybe I just needed one thing in my life to go the way I wanted.

William came to me constantly. He rested his head against my stomach to listen for the baby, and the joy on his face brought a smile to mine. Every time he did it, something tight in my chest loosened a little.

I was grateful that William was there through it all. On the nights I was uneasy, uncomfortable, and burning up, he was there, even though it wasn’t his child.

Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night in so much pain that I had to scream, my heart and lungs out. William would walk me to the bathroom and back, holding me deep into the night until the pain gave up. He had been there for the nausea, the vomiting, the appetite that vanished and returned without warning, the mood swings, and the irritation I threw at him for no reason. He never once complained.

I told myself that even if this child belonged to Lucian, I would dedicate him to William. His name would be Steelborn anyway. Lucian had not earned a place in that child’s name, and I refused to feel guilty about it.

It was dawning on me what it meant to be a mother, a parent with the responsibility of growing a child. My own mother hadn’t treated me right, and I promised myself I would never do the same to mine. I would raise him in love, alongside William, his father in every way that mattered.

But while I dealt with all of that, we still had other problems at hand, and Bernia was one of them. Their silence was killing me. It was killing both of us.

William said we would be fine. Maybe they hadn’t found anything to use against us, he said, and that was the reason for the delay.

"They could be plotting something behind the scenes, something our security apparatus might not be able to withstand," I said.

"That’s possible, but things aren’t done that way anymore. I want to believe they’ve decided to go the path of peace, but let’s wait and see," he said.

I didn’t agree with him. I suggested we reach out first to find out what was going on. They hadn’t contacted us, and they hadn’t forgotten. The silence was intentional. William didn’t agree, but after a lot of back and forth, he gave in halfway. We would send an email to Bernia to remind them of the treaty they had yet to approve. William called Damien in my presence and asked him to do the needful.

Damien sent the email, and it was done. All that was left was to wait for their response. I had an unborn child inside me, and we couldn’t afford wars and bombings. They wouldn’t be good for this child.

I only hoped everything would come out well.

Apart from that, everything else in the territory was fine. Things were running smoothly, and I was in for it all.

We were also hearing good news of other people being pregnant. The number of pregnancies in Icefang had increased drastically, and it was a good development. In the next seven months, the cries of babies would be all over the land, and we would be populous and unstoppable once again.

I was never going to be a fan of killing. I had killed in my life, but I had come too far to start killing for sport. Humans or not, they were all life first of all. But if it came to it, we would have to protect our people. What happened before could not repeat itself a second time.

Now I was gathering the guts and the mind to protect and preserve. That was the Luna I wanted to be remembered as. It wouldn’t happen by magic. I needed to make it happen. The passion and the burning desire in my soul could only be satisfied when I did my duty and everyone was happy.

So I went looking for answers.

I had heard of a wolf in Icefang who had never been made public. She was hidden in the shadows, but she had access to the voice of the goddess. I had already abandoned that goddess, but I felt she wouldn’t want the obliteration of everyone in Morvaine either, so for once we shared a common wish. Fuck, that was why I went to see her, to get answers and to learn the way forward.

Her name was Josephine, and what I had heard about her was true. She lived in a secluded place, the way people close to the goddess usually did. Her semi-detached house had lit candles everywhere. Before I even knocked, right after I stepped onto the doorstep, the door opened on its own.

"Wow," I said out loud, shocked. I wasn’t used to wooden doors opening by themselves. I only knew sensor glass and titanium doors, like the ones in my company.

I went in, and a chill brushed my skin. I didn’t see her at first, so when she appeared sitting opposite me, I was startled.

"You scared me," I said.

She sat looking me straight in the eyes through her specs, her feet flat on the ground, perfectly still, as if she had been there for hours.

"I knew you were coming, Luna. Have a seat," she said. Her voice was weird, hollow and layered. Was this what it cost to be divine?

"I heard you had access to answers," I said. I wanted to do it all in a rush and leave. It was 7 p.m., and I had come alone, which suddenly felt like a stupid decision.

"The person who directed you here spoke rightly of me," she said.

"Is there any impending danger I need to know about, and how do we prevent it?" I asked.

She was quiet for a while, looking at me as if she kept her belongings inside my body. My palm instinctively moved to my stomach.

"Danger is subjective," she said at last. "First, let’s talk about the twins you’re carrying in your womb."

My eyes opened wider than ever.

What? How could she say that?